Age-Related Changes in Structure, Composition and Mechanical Properties of Swine Cortical Bone

Bone has a complex hierarchical structure spanning from nanometer to macroscopic dimensions. We apply several experimental methods at different structural scales to study the three fundamental aspects of this material: the structure, composition and mechanical properties. As a biological material, bone is constantly under development. These biological processes such as remodeling and aging are known to increase the susceptibility of bone to fracture. The age-related changes in the fracture toughness and other mechanical properties are manifested by the alteration of the bone structure and chemical composition [1]. Various studies addressed the changes in bone’s structure, composition and mechanical properties due to aging [2–5]. However, these studies were confined to only one or two of these aspects, separately. So there is still an open question about how these three aspects are correlated with each others. Thus, a comprehensive study is needed to address it.